System and Method of Servicing Read Requests from a Common Mirror

1. A method of servicing a plurality of read requests using a common mirror comprising the steps of: determining whether the amount of data requested by the read requests is within a user-configurable threshold; chaining the read requests together if the amount of data requested by the read requests is within the user-configurable threshold; and sending the chained requests to the common mirror for servicing.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the common mirror is a least used mirror in a set of mirrors.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein it is ascertained that the data being requested by the read requests is within a user-configurable range before chaining the read requests together.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein it is ascertained that the plurality of read requests is to be grouped together before the read requests are chained together.

5. A method of servicing a read request using a common mirror comprising the steps of: receiving a first read request; sending the first read request to a mirror to be serviced; receiving a second read request; determining whether the amount of data requested by the first and the second read requests is within a user-configurable threshold; and sending, if the amount of data requested by the first and the second read requests is within the user-configurable threshold, the read request to the mirror to which the first read request was sent to be serviced.

6. The method of claim 5 further including the step of determining whether the first read request is presently being serviced when the second read request is received.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein if the first read request is being serviced when the second read request is received, it is ascertained that the data being requested by the second read request is within a user-configurable range of the data requested by the first read request before the second read request is sent to the same mirror as the first read request.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein if the first read request is not being serviced when the second read request is received, it is ascertained that the second read request is received within a user-configurable time frame from the first read request before the second read request is sent to the same mirror as the first read request.

9. A computer program product on a computer readable medium for servicing a plurality of read requests using a common mirror comprising: instruction code for determining whether the amount of data requested by the read requests is within a user-configurable threshold; instruction code for chaining together the read requests if the amount of data requested by the read requests is within the user-configurable threshold; and instruction code for sending the chained requests to the common mirror for servicing.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the common mirror is a least used mirror in a set of mirrors.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein it is ascertained that the data being requested by the read requests is within a user-configurable range before chaining the read requests together.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein it is ascertained that the plurality of read requests is to be grouped together before the read requests are chained together.

13. A computer program product on a computer readable medium for servicing a read request using a common mirror comprising: instruction code for receiving a first read request; instruction code for sending the first read request to a mirror to be serviced; instruction code for receiving a second read request; instruction code for determining whether the amount of data requested by the first and the second read requests is within a user-configurable threshold; and instruction code for sending, if the amount of data requested by the first and the second read requests is within the user-configurable threshold, the read request to the mirror to which the first read request was sent to be serviced.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising instruction code for determining whether the first read request is presently being serviced when the second read request is received.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein if the first read request is being serviced when the second read request is received, it is ascertained that the data being requested by the second read request is within a user-configurable range of the data requested by the first read request before the second read request is sent to the same mirror as the first read request.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein if the first read request is not being serviced when the second read request is received, it is ascertained that the second read request is received within a user-configurable time frame from the first read request before the second read request is sent to the same mirror as the first read request.

17. A system for servicing a plurality of read requests using a common mirror comprising: at least one storage device for storing code data; and at least one processor for processing the code data to determine whether the amount of data requested by the read requests is within a user-configurable threshold, to chain together the read requests if the amount of data requested by the read requests is within the user-configurable threshold, and to send the chained requests to the common mirror for servicing.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the common mirror is a least used mirror in a set of mirrors.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein it is ascertained that the data being requested by the read requests is within a user-configurable range before chaining the read requests together.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein it is ascertained that the plurality of read requests is to be grouped together before the read requests are chained together.

21. A system for servicing a read request using a common mirror comprising: at least one storage device for storing code data; and at least one processor for processing the code data to receive a first read request, to send the first read request to a mirror to be serviced, to receive a second read request, to determine whether the amount of data requested by the first and the second read requests is within a user-configurable threshold, and to send, if the amount of data requested by the first and the second read requests is within the user-configurable threshold, the read request to the mirror to which the first read request was sent to be serviced.

22. The system of claim 21 further processing the code data to determine whether the first read request is presently being serviced when the second read request is received.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein if the first read request is being serviced when the second read request is received, it is ascertained that the data being requested by the second read request is within a user-configurable range of the data requested by the first read request before the second read request is sent to the same mirror as the first read request.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein if the first read request is not being serviced when the second read request is received, it is ascertained that the second read request is received within a user-configurable time frame from the first read request before the second read request is sent to the same mirror as the first read request.